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The gym is dark, not a light in the room. The only gleam of light comes from the hallway and the only sounds in the whole base are my groans of effort and frustration that slip from my mouth every time I hit the punching bag.
Everyone is asleep and yet, here I am, fully awake. I woke up from a nightmare not too long ago. It’s probably 03:30 am by now. I can’t tell how long I’ve been here.
Now, you might be wondering what triggered all this. Exactly 9 months ago Talon captured three Overwatch members: Gabriel Reyes, Olivia Colomar and Amélie LaCroix. All members of Blackwatch and the people I care about the most.
Gabe and Sombra were my best friends, but Amélie… oh Amélie. We met in my first years in Overwatch. We fell in love. You might be thinking ‘wasn’t she married to Gérard LaCroix?’ and the answer is yes. But their marriage was already over long before we met. In fact, when we met she was already putting the divorce papers on the table.
We dated for over a year, and by then they were still trying to make the divorce happen. Turns out getting a divorce is a lot of paperwork, paperwork that Gérard didn’t want to sign. He was a good Overwatch agent, I’m not going to deny that, but he was also a narcissistic son of a bitch who thought he was above everybody else. Even his own wife.
After me and Amélie made one year of dating she didn’t want to keep the act about Gérard anymore, and told everyone about us and who Gérard truly was. Everyone was very supportive of our relationship and it looked like finally we could have a life together.
And then Talon took her. Along with Olivia and Gabe. I was the only member of Blackwatch left. There was also Moira, but by her own words, she was a double agent who went willingly.
We looked everywhere for the three of them. Started the deepest of investigations to find them as soon as possible.
Two weeks later they found Amélie. There was still no sign of Gabriel and Olivia and Amélie was too traumatized to talk.
I realized something was wrong when she refused to be near me. The only person she wanted near her was Gérard and she was constantly begging for him. Everyone could tell that it affected me. She was the one to tell everyone about us and now she couldn’t even look at me. My friends tried to help me but there was nothing to be done.
And then, two weeks after that, Amélie killed him in his sleep. He was found in the morning and she was nowhere in sight. She disappeared again.
Debates and arguments were thrown by all Overwatch agents. Some said that she was a double agent, some believed that Gérard was killed by a Talon agent and they took Amélie again. My closest friends tried to reason that she would never do something like that, but I’ve always known the truth.
She killed him.
Of one thing I was certain: that was not my Amélie. Obviously, it was her body, but something about her behavior told me that she was not the same.
After thinking about this so much, both my mind and my body get tired. I punch the punching bag one last time before leaning against it to catch my breath.
When I think I’m done, I turn to the bench where my things are. Then I see the ring.
Right... on our one year anniversary, Amélie gave me a ring along with a very beautiful speech about how she thought we were made for each other. That was also the moment we said ‘I love you’ for the first time. I still wear it till today. I think it gives me a feeling of safety. Almost like a part of her is still with me. It also gives me a little hope of seeing my Amélie one day.
I gather my things from the bench and make my way to my room.
It’s been a week since my late night workout in the gym.
Now I’m on a bus with five other Overwatch agents. Many other Overwatch buses ahead and behind us. We’ve been called by an agent of ours who was carrying an important load to our base. He alerted the base that Talon was trying to steal the load and he needed back up. And so, here we are.
As soon as we get in the location we sprint to protect the truck. The agent is surrounded by Talon operatives, only with a gun in his hand which I notice is shaking.
Overwatch agents start gaining ground to dispel the enemies away from the load. We are able to round the truck, making a sort of barricade to defend it. Their reaction is to back away.
In the corner of my eye I see one of our agents limp away to the back of the load where Talon agents can’t reach. I follow him and take notice of the bullet in his leg while he sits down, leaning against the truck. I take my scarf off my arm and wrap it around the wound. He grunts because of the pain and mumbles something incomprehensible.
“What?” I ask loudly because of the sound of bullets flying everywhere.
He pulls me down towards him and mumbles in my ear faintly.
“S-Sniper.”
My eyes get two times bigger as I examine his leg again. Indeed, the entrance wound is consistent with a sniper shot.
I turn around and start searching the top of every roof visible.
My eyes are drawn to the scope of a rifle. Its handler is wearing some kind of visor that doesn’t allow me to see their face.
When the rifle lands on me I am expecting a sharp pain of a bullet entering my flesh. It didn’t happen. In fact, it looks like the person on the other end completely freezes.
I am confused. Does the person know me?
The sniper takes their head away from the rifle’s aim. The visor opens and now I’m the one who’s frozen.
I could recognize those gold eyes anywhere. It’s her. Amélie.
Both of us are frozen in place. Not moving a muscle. Wondering if we are hallucinating the vision of each other. Her whole face bathed in shock.
After a few seconds I examine her further. Her skin… is… blue? It’s a baby blue color. Almost looks… cold.
Her prior orange, grey and white uniform is now mainly purple and gray, and much more revealing. Her eyes are still the same. Besides her face full of shock, I could see sorrow in her eyes. It gives me a heartache.
“Y/N!” My head snaps to Jack, who is screaming at me to get in the trunk of the truck with the load.
I whip my head to observe the battle situation. Talon operatives are backing down and I can hear some of them saying ‘recall.’
I look to the roof again. Amélie is now standing up but still hesitant to leave. Her brain can’t decide between looking at me or at the terrorist organization she was with.
When I don’t move from my place behind the truck several Overwatch agents come to see if I am in trouble, Jack included. When they realize I am moving my eyes somewhere else they follow them, seeing Amélie. Everyone’s mouths hang open except Jack’s.
Realizing what is happening to me, he stands right in front of me, blocking my view to the roof. He crouches and puts a hand on my shoulder.
“Y/N.” He calls softly in that sweet fatherly voice only he can manage. Honestly, he is like a father to me.
He puts his thumb on my cheek and makes a wipe motion. Am I crying? I realize my vision is blurred. Yes, I am crying.
Finally my brain gets that this is not the time or place to be emotional. This is a battlefield, goddammit. There is an agent bleeding right by my side.
I wipe my tears away and stand up. Jack helps me place the agent on the trunk with the load and I climb after him. I recharge my gun with ammo if needed.
The truck starts moving, going to the base. The agent with the bleeding leg passed out by my side but I know he will be alright.
Amélie is alive. No one at Overwatch knew what Talon had done with her, Sombra and Gabe. There is still a chance. They are still out there.
The whole ride to the base I caress the ring in my finger.
Amélie is alive.
It’s been five days. Five days of trying to track them down without pause. Jack and Ana assured me they are using every resource they can.
Fareeha stops me while I am walking to the kitchen. She asks me if I am taking care of myself properly since she likes to think of herself as my older sister.
“I promise, Fareeha. Today I even slept 8 hours.” She gives me a suspicious look.
“I don’t believe you.”
Just when I was going to answer her, I see a troop of Overwatch agents running past us to what I assume is the armory.
We look at each other curiously.
I see Angela past Fareeha’s shoulder and step in front of her. She backs away with a glow in her eyes when she notices me.
“Angela, what is going on?” She was walking so hurriedly that her change of attitude threw me off a little.
“Jack and Ana found them! They found Sombra, Gabe and Amélie.” She says with a brilliant smile and shining eyes.
My mouth hangs open for a second before my face changes in happiness. I cover my mouth and close my eyes for a little, absorbing the news.
“Where are they?” I ask swiftly, my impatience growing every second.
Finally the days without sleep paid off.
“Operations.” And then she runs to the armory again.
I don’t even say goodbye to Fareeha as I run to Operations like my life depends on it.
I burst through the operations’ door. Jack and Ana stop talking abruptly when they see me.
“Is it true?” The smile is still very present in my face.
“Yes.” Ana answers with a little smile of her own.
“Oh my God.” My body is gleaming with happiness at this point.
“Okay, I’m just gonna grab my gear and I’ll meet you in the hangar.” I say accelerated. I try to make my way to the armory but Jack’s hand grabbing my arm stops me.
“Y/N,” Ana starts, her smile completely vanished. “We don’t think it’s a good idea for you to come with us.”
I look at Jack and I can immediately tell he agrees. I pull my arm from his grasp and back away.
“What?” I don’t scream. I don’t shout. My voice is low and distressing.
“You are too emotionally attached to the mission.” Jack tries to explain.
And I snap.
“Of course I’m too emotionally attached to the mission! My girlfriend, my best friends have been missing for more than 9 months! No one did a damn thing about it! You all just sat in your fancy chairs instead of looking for them! I was the only one who had hope of finding them! Now, all of a sudden, everybody cares! WHERE THE HELL WERE YOU 9 MONTHS AGO?!”
Finishing my outburst I feel my chest moving up and down at an alarming rate. My face and neck feel hot as hell. My hands are flexing with need to punch something.
“Ana, can you leave us alone, please?” Jack requests, his eyes never leaving mine. He is calm, his voice is calm and that just angers me more.
Captain Amari leaves the room, leaving me and Jack to stare at each other wordlessly. I cross my arms trying to control my emotions.
I am mad. I am enraged. But still, a little voice in the back of my head reminds me that Jack is like a father to me, and I just yelled at him.
“You’re questioning my methods.” His voice is still a little soft, but mostly stern.
“I’m not questioning them, I’m saying it’s stupid.” I argue. My voice is much more gentle.
He lets out a deep breath conditioning me to do the same.
“Why?” My tone drops alarmingly.
“I’m too afraid you’re going to do anything to get them back.”
Then I realize, he is not punishing me. He is protecting me.
“Amélie needs someone to come home to.” He finishes.
I’m at a loss for words. Jack is just making sure everyone gets a happy ending.
Without a word, I embrace him in a tight hug. He hugs me back, resting his head on top of mine.
“Thank you.” I mutter.
Since I wasn’t allowed to go on the mission, I asked Winston to send me Sombra, Gabriel and Amélie’s files from Talon.
They arrived an hour ago and I still can’t believe them.
Looking at my computer in my room, I’m curled in a ball in my chair, covering my mouth with glossy eyes. Everything around me is dark, the only light being the screen of the computer.
All the horrors they did to them. It is all here. All the experiments. All the trauma they put them through.
Sombra was forced to hack for them. They would threaten to kill her if she didn’t want to do it. They made her steal information from a lot of people for blackmail.
Gabriel was experimented on, made into a shadow. The procedures were painful and he screamed for hours during the night. The report says they would just tranquilize him.
And then Amélie.
Amélie was… she… Amélie was brainwashed. They broke her will, slowed her heart, messed up her brain until she became the perfect weapon: emotionless. I can’t read half of the reports about her. Just imagining what she’s been through. What if… What if she isn’t Amélie anymore? What if Amélie is gone?
There is one thing still bothering me. All the files and papers say that she is emotionless. That was Talon’s primary objective with her. But if she is emotionless… Why was she shocked when we saw each other? Supposedly, she doesn’t have any memories after Gérard and Overwatch. So… how did she recognize me? Maybe… just maybe… Amélie isn’t completely gone.
My phone beeps, pulling me out of my head. I reach for it and see a message from Angela. ‘They are in the med bay. Whenever you’re ready.’ it reads.
I don’t respond. What can I say, after all?
Even if Amélie is still in there, does she blame me for not looking for her? Is she angry with me? Does she want to have a life with me again?
A knock on my door nearly makes me jump from my chair.
“It’s open.” I try to say. The crack in my voice makes me flinch.
The person enters and just after a few seconds I turn my head away from the screen.
Amélie. It's her. In bone and flesh. Right in front of me.
I don’t know what to say. What to think. What to do. And by the looks of it, neither does she. So we just stare at each other in the darkness.
A few minutes of this and my throat feels strong enough to mumble some words.
“Do you know who I am?” My tone seems sufficiently steady.
Amélie takes some time of her own. I can’t even begin to wonder what is going on in her head.
“Mon coeur.”
And I lose it. I start crying without stopping. Not a sound escaping my lips, just silent tears blurring my vision.
“I…” Amélie starts, I look at her wiping my tears away. When she understands she has my full attention she goes on. “Talon brainwashed me. They experimented on me. Broke me in every way possible. They tried to wipe my memories away and make me emotionless. The perfect weapon.”
I lower my head, not wanting to hear more. Her voice is even but I know deep down she is suffering so much. I don’t want her to revive that. Nonetheless, she keeps going.
“For a few months it worked. I couldn’t feel any emotion. I was numb. But my memories were starting to come back in pieces, I started remembering my life again. My first memories, my childhood at Chateau Guillard, my ballet recitals, Gérard, and you. Eventually, I remembered everything, but I just kept hiding my feelings so no one would suspect and take me back to the lab.”
Realizing she is over, I lift my head again. When I look at her I take in her teary eyes. They are glossy, but no tears fall.
“Amélie...” I try.
Her lower lip trembles and the tears she was holding are finally set free. I'm a little shocked at her reaction. Then it clicks. She probably hasn’t been called Amélie for so long.
I get up from my chair and practically lunge at her. She catches me without an effort and just holds me close. I take notice of how cold her skin actually is. I read about it in the reports but it’s not as bad as I expected. Almost feels… welcoming. I breathe in the scent on her neck. She still smells like my Amélie.
She copies me and breathes in my perfume. When she recognizes the smell as the same I’ve always used around her because she told me it was her favourite, I feel hot tears wetting my shirt.
I pull back a little to wipe away her tears with both my hands. She catches my hand after noting something.
I only stare at her trying to get why she grabbed my hand.
“You kept it.” Her voice shows a little more emotion this time. Almost hopeful.
The ring.
“Of course I kept it.” A little smile creeps to my lips. “I never stopped loving you, Amélie.” Now a little smile tugged at her lips. “It also gave me hope when I thought I’d never see you again.”
Amélie moves her lips to kiss the ring on my finger, then she looks at me intensely. I know what she wants and I also know she is too fragile to ask for it.
I lean in to kiss her but stop. Just a millimetre separating our lips. I look in her eyes again, just to be sure. She nods and I finally close the gap.
The kiss isn’t hurried, feverish or hot. It’s calm, full of promises, regrets and assurances. It is an affirmation of our love.
When the kiss is over, we don’t pull away too much. We lean our foreheads together and just stare at each other's eyes. The last thing either of us wants is to be apart again.
Talking about eyes… “I’ve always loved your eyes but blue really pops them out.” I giggle a little.
I see the inside of her eyebrows lift in concern. I can see she is getting insecure about her new skin tone.
“Hey.” I say, making her look at me again. “I like it, it suits you.”
And we kiss again. The second of so many yet to come.